2023 Reflections: A Year At Woodstock Sanctuary
The year is winding down here in the Hudson Valley and the nights are long and cold. At Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, we are stocking the barns with hay and straw to get through the winter and keep our larger residents warm and fed...and we are insulating barns and coops to make sure our rabbits, chickens, and turkeys are warm overnight even when the outside temperatures drop into the teens and below. We are lucky to be in this beautiful valley with its views of the river and sky, but with that comes cold dark winters.
2023 has been a year of challenge and community—we are reaching more people than ever with our mission and advocacy and have been able to take better care of our beloved residents despite financial challenges like inflation, which hit us very hard.
With our greater community of care including our members, volunteers, and supporters all over the world, so much has happened this year!
We rescued 35 new residents as of this writing, provided shelter and medical care to over 450 animals, including elder care to over 150 residents, and responded to over 100 requests for placement and help.
We developed our Save the Birds initiative to draw attention to the care needs of rescued farmed birds and to try and improve our coops and yards for our geese, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, and ducks.
We welcomed over 3,000 visitors to the Sanctuary for Public Education programming including tours and workshops.
We hosted over 400 volunteers for more than 4,000 hours of donated labor—our biggest volunteer year ever.
We hosted 19 interns who learn animal care and sanctuary work with us.
We have over 542,972 followers across social media platforms and are projected to reach over 70 million people (about twice the population of California) through earned and social media this year with our advocacy and campaigns.
We ran advocacy campaigns including our State and County Fair campaign, which reached two million people this year with op-eds, targeted social media, and through our coalition of 24 sanctuaries and advocacy organizations.
We partnered on legislative and advocacy campaigns with dozens of other partners, impacting regional and statewide legislation.
Settling into their warm barns are many new faces this year—including Marge and Sylvia the piglets, who are now five months old. They are nearly at the age where they’d be killed if they had not been saved. Instead, they are running around during the day, oinking happiness and snack requests at their favorite people, and cuddling with each other at night. Somewhere on two separate pig farms, their mothers are still trapped and do not know that out of all their babies they have lost, these ones are safe with us. That out of all their babies, these two will be cared for and get to have full lives with tenderness, friends, and fun. Out of all the magical wishes I have for farmed animals, being able to tell the mothers of those few who can be rescued they are safe is the most deep-seated. I will think of their mothers as Sylvia and Marge grow up and grow old here together.
Shelter Director Hervé greets little Sylvia during her arrival.
“Whether you are reading this as a supporter, member, visitor, volunteer, or simply an observer, thank you for being part of our greater community and for being there for the animals.”
We have lost some of our most dear residents this year, including Sam the elder goat. Sam himself had provided solace and comfort to many other goats as they neared the end of their lives, including his best friend Seth who would rest his head on Sam to fall asleep at night. Sam was a comfort to so many and we are all better for knowing him. We also lost a beautiful young turkey named Monisha who we rescued last fall as a baby before the Thanksgiving holiday. But like many birds rescued from animal farming, Monisha was sick and compromised. She never recovered despite medical interventions and specialized care. She spent four seasons with us and loved sunbathing on the porch of our Medical Barn and being with her flock. We miss her every day.
Sam snuggling close to Pia in the goat barn.
Sanctuary seasons cycle slowly and are marked by the rain, snow, and sun but also with great joy and loss. We are so lucky to know farmed animals and to be able to provide them with a home, care, and a space for them to feel love and happiness. We are so grateful to everyone who is a part of our community of care for making it happen and for allowing us to be here to witness and tell their stories. Whether you are reading this as a supporter, member, visitor, volunteer, or simply an observer, thank you for being part of our greater community and for being there for the animals.
To help fund our work into 2024 and to make sure Woodstock Sanctuary is here for the next piglet who needs our help, every gift coming in through the end of December is being matched. If you can contribute financially, now is the time. Your generosity saves lives, educates, and fights for true change and justice.
Thank you from all of us and much love from the goat barn!
For the animals,
Rachel
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